edward s. bragg

September 18, 2026

Two Sisters, Two Very Different Civil War Stories

Yesterday I wrote about my distant cousin, Sophia Colman, who married Dr. John H. Van Evrie, one of the most outspoken racist and pro-slavery writers of the 19th century. Her sister, Cornelia Colman (1830-1914), found herself connected to the Civil War in an entirely different way. Cornelia married Edward Stuyvesant Bragg, a Wisconsin lawyer who… Continue reading

paternal history

civil war, colman, edward s. bragg, wisconsin

“The creation of a thousand forests is one acorn.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Welcome! My name is Lisa, and I’m a family historian, storyteller, and unapologetic history nerd with a deep love for discovering the ordinary people, places, and stories that came before us.

What began as curiosity about my own ancestors has grown into a passion for researching, preserving, and sharing the stories, photographs, documents, and places that connect generations across time. Along the way, I’ve discovered that some of the best stories aren’t necessarily found on my family tree. Sometimes they’re hiding in an old newspaper, a forgotten recipe, a historic place – or some random bit of history I simply can’t resist sharing.

I believe every ancestor – whether they left behind a diary or only a name on a census record – deserves to be remembered. My hope is that this site not only preserves my family’s history for future generations, but also celebrates the fascinating, surprising, and sometimes wonderfully everyday stories of the past.

Because history is everywhere. You just have to be curious enough to look.

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edward s. bragg

Two Sisters, Two Very Different Civil War Stories